Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1887-09-29
CRAWLING THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER


her fairy prince of few years past,
her elegant and daiDt.ly raised Everett,
] q failure in all that .le undertook. She
knew of his appealing by letter to his
father for forgivness and assistance,
and she read the sarcastic refusal con-
tanned in the reply, with its sneering
allusion to herself She saw her hus-
band become dissipated and de-
sp sed; she bore children, and fol-
lowed them to the grave, when better
treatment and more comforts would
have saved them. She labored with
her hands as she had never labored in
the cotton-mill She cleaved t. that
unworthy man in the worst of ill-re.
port, with q sublime faith and heroism
which are only shown by women.
"Time softens asperit es." Ye lrs
OF practical childlessness produced
their natural effect upon the father OF
Everett Travis. The barriers Cf pride
and obstinacy were strong and high
but at last they yielded. A letter came
to the poor Western home, informing
the son that his mother was stricken
with paralysis, and likely to die. Ii
ing his wife, and gave repeated assur-
ance that everything should bo for
given.
The answer, anxiously expected, was
brief and unsatisfactory. 1t was writ
ten by Julia. She said that both her
husband and herself were saldeaed by
the intelligence of his mothers illne IS
that both wished to 60 at once to he +.
but they could not. Everett could not
write, and he had requested her to
do so.
as that a'l?" asked tho dying mother.
"Yes, Sophy; that's all. "
"Oh, dear! l shall never SEQ him
again-my darling, my only child Did
you send them money to come, limo
thyS"
NO" groaned the repentant father.
II didn't think of that"
90, Timothy!"
"But 1 don't believe they'd come,
anyway. It's queer letter. She don't
even say that Envy is sick"
When the sufferer was dead and
PsFsSn PaTSa and nj look TEraEiM ap his seS9yea SOU
A long railroad journey brought him
to the city of his home, and with much
difficulty he found his mean habita ion.
TO tho thin, careworn woman whom he
found there, he introduced himself as
Everett's fathe:. She looked at him
with stony eyes.
II am his wife," she sad. "You dis
owned him years ago ON my account; /;
now you have come too late to find
him."
"He is nc dead?" Mr.. Travis cried.
"No; but if you persist in seeing
him you will wish he was"
"Where is he? Take me to him"
Beware, sir warn you. l say it
is too late for your hard heart to be
moved. You had better go back, and
not insist on seeing him."
Il must see him."
She put on her battered bonnet and
faded shawl, aud without a wVId OVn
Quoted him through busy streets to q
gloomy and vast stone building. They
walked through offices, halls, and
courts and were stopped by man at
strongly barred door.
"Do you want to look, Mrs. Travis p
the guard respectfully asked.
"Yes; do you look, too?
Her companion did as she directed.
Through wicket in the door that the
guard unclosed some hundreds of men
were seen marching across large open
court. Guards with muskets were
posted about. The men who marched
had close-cropped hair and wore q
queer striped dress. Each man of the
double-tile had his right hand on the
left shoulder of the man next in front
of him. Among them Mr.. Travis rec
ognized his son.
"Why, what's all this?' he asked.
"You are in the States Prison, sir. I"
said Julia, coldly. "Yonder is your
son - my husband. You repudiated
him because he chose to marry me; he
had not strength enough to be a man
without your help-and there he is.
1 warned you, but you would come"
The old mans pride and coldness re-
turned at once.
"What is he here for?" he asked.
"For a killing done in q drunken
brawl. He is in for life"
"Come away, then. | never want to
hear his name again. Once more /
disown him, but l will provide for you.
The law will free you from him; he is
civilly dead. Come home with me-"
roor, distressed, almost hopeless,
she flashed such indignation upon him
that he covered away from her.
"He is my husband" she said. "You,
his own father, may cast him away;
will never leave him. know all you
said of him and me when we were
welded. / saw the two lettors you
wrote him. He was your idol. You
have shown-you are showing-how
cheap thing fathers love may be.
1 am his wife, say; that is my answer.
He tried to put money in her hands,
to tell her of large check he would
send her.
II will burn it." she answered, and
left him.
She went back to her loneliness and
hard poverty.
But the result was what might cas-
lily be foreseen. The woman's faith,
love, and endurance had their reward.
In few years Everett Travis was sci
free and came out from his hard dis.
cipline man. The fallen idol was re.
placed upon its pedestal; the wife's
fidelity was abundantly rewarded, and
his father was glad to welcome him as
| his son and heir. with n worthy